The Sustainable Buildings and Societies Laboratory (SBS Lab) at Pennsylvania State University is offering four fully funded PhD student positions for Fall 2026. The lab focuses on advanced modeling techniques, high-performance buildings, and smart, sustainable, and resilient cities. Research areas for these positions include model-based optimal and resilient design and operation for data center cooling systems, honeybee-inspired virtual electric peer-to-peer networks for distributed energy resources, and multi-scale building energy modeling for power grid planning and operation.

The lab is led by Professor Wangda Zuo and is known for its multi-disciplinary, multi-institute collaborations supported by significant grants. Students will have opportunities to work on projects with national and international partners, including DOE national laboratories and industry. Funding for these positions is fully provided, covering tuition and stipend.

Applicants should have a strong background in mechanical engineering, architectural engineering, electrical engineering, or related fields, and be passionate about modeling and simulation for smart cities. For more information and application instructions, visit the SBS Lab website.